Palin and the 2012 election

last updated 8 January 2015

Sarah Palin is "the John Edwards of 2008," said Toby Harnden in Britain's The Telegraph. Like the 2004 Democratic vice-presidential nominee, she's "attractive, well-groomed," and "shows little loyalty to the top of the ticket." John McCain's campaign is flagging, and the fact that "she's constantly straying off message"—on robocalls, the Federal Marriage Amendment, North Korea—is a sign she's "clearly looking beyond this election" to 2012.

It is odd, said John Dickerson in Slate. "Even on Team Maverick a vice-presidential candidate's job is to agree with the candidate at the top of the ticket." But as to what Palin's up to, or even if it's a deliberate tactic, we just don't know. Palin critics push the "going rogue" line, but Palin loyalists say she's doing her best for "a ham-handed campaign."