Amy Siskind on what could have been

The New Agenda's Amy Siskind reflects on the excitement she and her friends felt when John McCain announced that Sarah Palin would be his running mate a year ago:

"While I might disagree with Sarah Palin on many policy issues, she seems, well, familiar. I feel like I 'get' Sarah and can relate. I admire what she has accomplished despite the odds and the barriers that our society places on women as they reach for leadership roles. I would have been thrilled to have her in the White House."

"The New Agenda did speak out for then Governor Palin a year ago – our first three press releases a year ago were in defense of Gov Palin. We were proud to be the first and only national women’s group to have Gov Palin’s back!"

And today?

"Sigh, I couldn’t help think about what could have been."

"Our country can be proud, yes, for electing its first African American President. But I can’t help but wonder, as Secretary Clinton makes women’s issues her main focus abroad, sigh, what could have been. And as Sarah Palin pursues a path less travelled now, sigh, what could have been if she were in the White House."

Perhaps what could have been is soon to be, Amy. There are many of us in this fight -- women and men; Black, Caucasian and Latino; Catholic, Protestant and Jew; libertarian, conservative and not so conservative; young, old and middle age; blue collar, white collar and tan collar -- and many more joining Sarah's troops every day. Like John Paul Jones, we "have not yet begun to fight."

The next three years should be both interesting and invigorating.

- JP