Who is this guy, and what has he done with Dan Riehl?

*
We have appreciated Dan Riehl's reporting on Sarah Palin in times past. It has been fair, and for the most part, accurate. And so this blog and its companion website The Book of Sarah have been generous with our links to his blog. But Dan has taken a strange turn over Sarah Palin's decision not to attend CPAC.

We see several valid reasons for the former governor to pass on CPAC's invitation:

1. Keene took the first "C" out of CPAC: Keene endorsed Arlen Specter in 2003 and Mitt Romney in 2007. How "conservative" is that? Specter was a liberal Republican until he changed parties, and Romney is a statist whose health care program in Massachusetts is so close to the plan the Democrats are trying to enact nationally right now that it's creepy. Accepting the CPAC invitation would tarnish Sarah Palin's conservative credentials. Let's face it, CPAC isn't what it used to be. It's gotten watered down.

2. Keene publicly dissed Sarah Palin: He called her a whiner and said that she wasn't ready to run for president, all because she couldn't attend CPAC last year because her political enemies in Alaska would have nailed her to a cross over it. This didn't stop CPAC from using her name to promote their event without her confirmation to attend. Keene also criticized her for resigning as Alaska's governor, even though in doing so, she has brought her poll numbers up and increased her political power. After the way ACU's chairman has treated her, why should the governor lend her star power to Keene's event? Only a fool tries to scratch the ears of the dog that bit her, and Sarah Palin is no fool.  

3. The FedEx fiasco: We don't think this was a major factor in Governor Palin's decision making. The ACU didn't come out of it smelling like a rose, however, and it's just one more reason, at the least, to have nothing to do with them.

4. The John Birch Society's CPAC sponsorship: WaPo political blogger Chris Cillizza says that "according to those familiar with her thinking" the JBS association with CPAC 2010 is one of the reasons the governor decided not to attend. JBS may not be the same organization which earned itself such a bad name -- not to mention the scorn of conservatives such as William F. Buckley -- in years past, but the last thing Sarah Palin needs right now is to be tainted with the JBS reputation for extremism.

Any of these four factors is, by itself, reason enough for Gov. Palin to avoid CPAC like the plague, in our opinion. That's why Dan's post and some of the language he uses in it seems to us to be so out of character for him. Saying that Sarah Palin's decision "is doing considerable disservice to the Conservative (sic) movement" is just plain ridiculous. It is CPAC that is doing disservice to the conservative movement by not being conservative. She never asked Keene to "bow down and worship her," Dan, but she also didn't deserve Keene's unwarranted and, in light of subsequent events, wrong-headed attack on her, either.

Also, Dan, what does the fact that Sarah Palin is being paid for her Tea Party Convention speech have to do with CPAC? Nothing, that's what. It is the SRLC event in New Orleans which she chose over CPAC, and she is not being paid for her appearance in the Crescent City. You imply that she's a money-grubber because she is being paid for the Tea Party speech, yet CPAC sold a sponsorship to a group which casts a shadow over its entire conference, and you sailed right over that money trail. And really, Dan, calling the governor "the queen" doesn't help your case a bit. It does show you a little too eager to engage in name-calling, that last resort of someone desperately in need of a good argument. Finally, accusing her of "whining" only shows that you're copying Keene's language, yet you call John Ziegler the sycophant here? Doctor, heal thyself.

We miss you already, Dan. Please get Riehl again. Once you get over yourself, please tell Quin Hillyer that he needs to do the same. It shouldn't be too hard to find him. He may be there in the dark with you inside David Keene's lock box. Shine a light... 

- JP