John Ziegler changes his mind on a Palin presidential bid

"She came closer than ever before to declaring that she will be a candidate"
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Documentary film maker John Ziegler has always been a strong defender of Gov. Palin, but he has often expressed the opinion that she should not and would not run for the White House in 2012. Ziegler has argued that she should challenge Democrat Mark Begich for his Senate seat in 2014 and then make her presidential bid in 2016. But that would have her running for president after serving only one third of a term in the U.S. Senate. If John thinks she was pounded unmercifully for resigning as Governor of Alaska, we wonder what he would think her political enemies would try to do to her for conducting a presidential campaign before finishing a full six-year Senate term?

No matter. The man behind the outstanding film "Media Malpractice" has had an epiphany of sorts. After digesting the appearance of the leader of the Grizzly pack on last night's "Hannity," Ziegler says he has had a "rather strong epiphany" and although he doesn't think any Republican can beat Obama in 2012, he now believes not only that she will run, but that she should run:

If Palin really has been playing a game in order just to keep her profile high (an article of faith among Palin critics), the insane reaction to this tragedy and the irrational implication of her in it would have provided her with the perfect out. After all, not even her most fervent supporter could possibly begrudge her the right to beg off a presidential run in the name of protecting her family from all of the lunacy (and potentially worse) which will be sure to come their way if they are all subjected to another campaign. But even after being given an opening to “go there” larger than FNC’s rating dominance over its competitors, Palin would have none of it.

Instead, she came closer than ever before to declaring that she will be a candidate, defiantly stating that, while she has no announcement to make right now, she is not going to sit down, and will not be told to shut up.

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This leads me to my second change of heart. Ever since I witnessed her 2008 convention speech in person, I have had admiration for Sarah Palin, but I had also (almost out of a desire to not see her and her family unnecessarily harassed) come to the conclusion that it was not a good idea for her to run for president in 2012. I figured that, thanks largely to the same media who has targeted her for over two years, Obama was unlikely to lose to anyone and that blowing her one chance to run wouldn’t be good for her or her cause. But now I not only think she will run, but I really hope she does.

I still believe baring a disaster Obama will be reelected, but I now see nothing to lose and lots to gain by a Palin candidacy. She is the only candidate who has the ultimate freedom of having already faced her political death head on. As Winston Churchill famously said, “There is nothing more exhilarating than being shot without result,” and while thankfully Palin only knows this truth metaphorically, all that she has endured gives her incredible independence. Everyone else will inevitably melt (like even grizzled veteran John McCain did) when they get close to the blast furnace that will be going up against the Obama juggernaut. Far more than anyone else in conservative history, Palin has been forced to prove just how fireproof her convictions are and how deep her resolve is.

Quite simply, no one else in the potential Republican field will be as trustworthy to conservatives on the issues, and less likely to back down, than Sarah Palin. She has shown beyond any doubt that she can literally handle anything that the pressure of running for president could possibly present.

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Now all we have to do is disabuse John of the notion that Obama is a cinch for reelection. It all depends on the economy, and we don't see it improving significantly before the 2012 election. Obamanomics almost guarantees a grim long term outlook, and even if we experience some degree of economic growth before the next election day, it's not likely that a corresponding growth in jobs will accompany it. We believe that significant job growth can on be spurred by ramping up domestic oil and natural gas production, and no matter how far Obama tacks to the center, he won't go that far lest the enviromaniacs desert him.

As Gov. Palin has emphatically stated, she will only get in it to win it. So a Palin candidacy in 2012 would be more than just an effort to marshal forces for 2016 and beyond, as Brother Ziegler seems to see it. It would be a serious go for the gold. Yes, it's about the future, but the future begins right now. Nevertheless, if, as Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, John Ziegler's journey back to constructively supporting Sarah Palin again has begun. He's a talented communicator, and his help would be invaluable.

- JP