Define "Maverick"

Sarah Palin is no maverick, unless the definition of marverick is someone who does not cater to the mainstream political and media community; in fact, she drives them crazy, as this week's question suggests.

But she is enormously popular with and caters to a sizable faction of the Republican Party, in part because she marches to a different drummer than most politicians with national aspirations. She breaks the mold and smashes stereotypes. She has demonstrated that a politician can be doggedly conservative, unabashedly sexual, electable (at least in one state) and capable of generating a significant following nationwide.

None of that says that she has the qualities necessary to run for the presidency or serve well if elected. And the quirky story she is sticking to about her resignation will do nothing to increase her credibility for national office among those who are not already in her corner.

By Marty Linsky

 |  July 15, 2009; 3:48 PM ET
Category:  Politics Save & Share:                 
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