There was a time in the not-so-distant past when being a national politician carried a certain amount of dignity. Sure the "sleazy politician" is a stereotype, and somewhat well-deserved, but that generally revolved around the job itself. Politicians were celebrities for their political actions, and when their personal behavior raised eyebrows, they were often shamed out of office. These days it seems that the cult of celebrity is not only tolerated, it is used as a PR tool to enhance a candidate's profile.

Nowhere is this more evident than with Sarah Palin. The one-time part-time governor of Alaska had her own little fiefdom in Alaska until an operative in the Republican party tagged her to be John McCain's running mate. Before you could say "expense account", she was posing, spewing soundbites, and shopping for clothes. Since the 2008 election, she resigned as governor and played a game of "will she or won't she?" with the press over the 2012 elections, like some sort of political strip tease. She's been a FAUX News commentator and reality show "star". How does any of that make her electable? I just don't get it - you'll have to ask her fans.

I use the word "fans" for a reason - it comes back to the cult of celebrity. Voters are so jaded, lazy, self-centered, and incurious that they'll vote for their representative in government as if s/he were a competitor on "Dancing With The Stars". Past political history? Leadership? Intelligence?... That last one is a liability for a lot of voters - "someone they could have a beer with" seems to carry more weight.

DWTS does seem to be some sort of crucible for the Palins and their cult. It's well-known that her daughter Bristol has been on the show. Despite her mediocre performances, she keeps getting voted to stay on the show. Is it because of her talent? Of course not; like it's older cousin American Idol, it's the American public that decides who stays and who goes. In short - it's a popularity contest, not a talent contest. And as we've seen, the Palins are long on popularity and short on talent. One talent they DO possess is to get their loyal fans to participate, whether "Operation Bristol" is an official organized operation or not.

Sarah Palin is trying to keep herself in the water cooler discussions for another season by pushing to get Christine O'Donnell (whom she campaigned for) on the show as a competitor. It's doubtful that will happen, but it is very telling about Palin herself. She likes to use surrogates that will indirectly reflect on her without her having to take the risk. This is why she only appears on FAUX News to answer questions directly. As a response to a question about being interviewed, she responded that she wants to "clean up journalism", positioning herself as an expert because she went to 5 colleges college for journalism. Does she suppose Katie Couric or any other journalists didn't? Will she grant that same assumed expertise to President Obama (re: government) because he was a Constitutional scholar? I think not.

One has to wonder what her next move will be. Her daughter Willow appears to be tainted goods because of her anti-gay slurs and allegations of vandalism. Perhaps her son Track? He's in the military, so that will look good when he gets out. Nothing like a proud mother posing with her "hero" son. Daughter Piper is way too young to be of much good to her ambitions.

Which begs the question: what exactly does she really want? Is it power?... money?... celebrity? Some combination thereof? Which one is simply a means to which other's end? Whatever it is, despite the wishes of Barbara Bush, there's no keeping her down on the tundra when she's seen the glitz of national TV.

That's a shame - because she has none.