I have thought long and hard about this subject and have refrained from publicly taking a stand on it, but I believe now is the time to face reality about Sarah Palin's political future. She's just not ready, and may never be. Just as I look at Obama's lack of experience as a true hindrance in getting our country back from the economic brink, Palin's lack of experience would hurt the country too.

It's not enough to hold the same views as the candidate to get the best results for the country. That person has to be gifted and able to negotiate convincingly. In other words, they have to have the skills necessary to persuade the opposition into thinking your way is the irrefutable right way. This idea was the driving force behind conservatives rejecting Harriet Miers' candidacy as Supreme Court nominee, and their support for John Roberts. Conservatives knew that Harriet Miers was not up to the job of effectively persuading liberals on the bench to think her way on the law. But they knew that John Roberts was just more gifted and persuasive, which is what is an absolute necessity in order to preside effectively on the court. I also believe this is what is needed to win over the majority of the voters in a presidential election.

Barack Obama's tenure so far has proven that to elect a President based on personality and charisma, even if that candidates' views are your own, can be a dangerous precedent for the country. I have many friends, Independants and Democrats, who are now extremely upset that they voted for him. They keep saying things like "He seemed so moderate and likable during the campaign," but they are now feeling duped. And more importantly, they think he's dangerous for the welfare of the country.

I don't think Sarah Palin would ever be dangerous for the country because of her views, but I do think she doesn't have the experience necessary for such a complex and difficult job, just as Obama doesn't. From my vantage point, he looks like he'd rather be galivanting the globe on Air Force One instead of actually doing something of substance back here at home. It's almost as if he's escaping from the difficult decisions he can't make at home, because he just doesn't have the decisiveness necessary without hurting himself politically.

My case in point regarding Palin is her resignation from the governorship. That day was a big disappointment for me, because it forced me to re-think her qualifications to run the country. No doubt she was under extreme pressure and countless attacks from her enemies in Alaska, but that is something that every politician has to endure. And if you can't take the attacks on yourself, how can you take attacks from real enemies against the country? And if those attacks paralyze you, how can you set them aside to make the very difficult decisions required as the President? For example, let's revisit Jimmy Carter's presidency. He was just not experienced and decisive enough to handle a damaged economy, an energy crisis, and the hostage taking of our citizens in Iran. He didn't have the ability to put politics aside during a crisis and take care of business. The result was that he damaged the country, and he failed miserably.

The media and the progressives, one and the same now, will try to destroy anyone conservatives put up as a candidate. So therefore, we need a candidate that can withstand that pressure without backing down. An example of that would be Ronald Reagan. The left painted him as a buffoon, but his gift was that he was able to turn those attacks around in a forceful and convincing way without alienating most of the country. In fact, the more he was attacked, the better he was at diffusing the attacks. Palin doesn't have this ability now, and she may or may not be able to turn this around. But so far her approach has left me worried that she will divide conservatives and Republicans more than she will bring them together.

The media is having a field day with Palin because they probably would love to have her as the Republican candidate knowing that she only has about 25% support. That's not enough to win anything. And they know it. The more Palin exposes herself, the more chance she has of making mistakes. She needs to get more experience in my opinion, and then she should get out there and offer substantive and creative ideas for the Republican/Conservative platform. And she needs to stop talking about her personal life, her drama, and re-hashing the campaign. In other words, she needs to be more statesman-like. Hillary Clinton doesn't dwell on her personal life, and neither does Marsha Blackburn or Michelle Bachman, all women who have been mercilessly attacked by the media.

I look forward to all that Sarah Palin can offer the conservative agenda, but I hope she abandons any Presidential aspirations at this point in time. 2012 is a long way off, so maybe she can prove me wrong before then. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Kathy Barkulis