Two slightly different articles on Governor Palin appeared recently. One, by former editor of the Harvard Crimson Steve Chapman at the Chicago Tribune, got an excellent fisking from Stacy Drake at C4P. The other, about her planned visit to Iowa, from the left wing UK Guardian was surprisingly respectful – although it did end up with a caveat from Larry Sabato – who else! – that the Democrats were chafing at the bit for a Palin nomination because even a President on the skids like Obama would win by a landslide when faced by such a polarising figure…

(I must say that if the Democrats are so certain that she would be a walkover why do their media surrogates spend so much time dissing the woman rather than Romney, Huckabee etc…but I digress)

The one figure missing from both articles was our old friend the anonymous GOP Beltway Operative who for so long has been telling Palin to stand aside and let the real men get on with it.

Where has he gone? Maybe he has had to get a real job in which he does something useful – like a bus driver or a refuse collector….who knows? Who cares?

The fact is this rather mysterious woman panders to nobody, doesn’t care who she upsets on the left or the right and follows her own star. She has no influential family network or billionaire patron, no massive staff structure thronged with consultants and advisers, has for two years been ignored and/or despised by most media pundits, insulted and demeaned by third rate scribblers, cold shouldered by her own state party and ignored by her party’s national establishment.  Nevertheless she has become one of the most influential and powerful figures in American politics.

Don’t take my word for it – I’m just an old Englishman living thousands of miles away from the action. But have a word with Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post or Roger Simon, Chief Political Columnist at  Politico. Have a look at Real Clear Politics, or even the Daily Beast. Then read Chapman’s article at the Chicago Tribune once again, work out how much he must have been paid for such garbage – and then pour yourself a generous gin and tonic to steady the nerves…..