I love Sarah Palin

Seriously. No snark. I mean it. I’m not kidding. Now, I have written about her before. In fact, for easy reference, I have put all my blogs about or related to her in a Palin folder. I love her because she surprises me all the time! What politician in her right mind would have done what she did??! The answer is: no politician would have done it. Therefore, she either isn’t a politician, isn’t in her right mind or both.

She may – just may – have a screw loose. Todd Purdum wrote in his recent Vanity Fair profile of Palin:

Several told me, independently of one another, that they had consulted the definition of “narcissistic personality disorder” [NPD] in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders—“a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy”—and thought it fit her perfectly.

Now, due to my future “blagner” (a blog about Richard Wagner), I happen to always keep a copy of the DSM-R around with a dog-ear on NPD and, indeed, she seems to meet all 9 criteria. (You only have to meet 5 to qualify for the diagnosis.) So, let’s just say that this is the screw she might have a tiny bit loose. That said, many, many very successful politicians do meet the NPD criteria. For instance, Bill Clinton easily does too. And, he certainly is a politician.

So, really, I have come to the conclusion that she isn’t a politician. Or, at least, a recognizable version of a politician. I should have seen this coming because of the turkey thing! What politician in her right mind would have had a turkey slaughtered in the background after “pardoning” a turkey? The answer is: no politician would have done it. I actually really liked that she did it – because, come on, I eat turkey. Those turkeys were clearly raised humanely, killed humanely and I appreciated seeing it. But, it was the most bizarre thing I had ever seen a "politician" do.

In her little farewell speech (required viewing), she said this isn't "politics as usual" several times. I agree. It is not at all. So, I recognize, acknowledge and celebrate her for this true insight. Anyway, now that she has recognized that she isn’t a politician, she can now move on to what God (and America!) really had planned for her all along: To get really, really wealthy! You go, girl, and get that loot. Ah, God Bless America.

By the way, I wanted to give a plug to my friend Brian’s “news cycle management” insight. He noticed that Palin made her announcement after Jon Stewart left for a two-week vacation. And, that Larry Craig did the same thing. And, that Bush did the same thing when he commuted Liddy’s sentence. Pretty sly, aye?