Letter to WSJ BestOfTheWebToday on Sarah Palin

Are you setting the 'presidential timber ' bar a little high? Thursday, January 20, 2011 9:42 AM The BOTWT Wednesday 19 January has a fine defense of Sarah Palin, but it opens with your statement you “...are inclined to think that she is not...” presidential timber. You then quote friend “Jessica Faller, a New Yorker in her 30s of generally liberal politics” who implies Palin has less than a “a tremendous, watertight political résumé.” The number one requirement of a president it to make final decisions, and governors and generals have the most background at this. Only six of the last 13 presidents have been governors, and two of those were one-term – a little more than twice as long as Palin. Her state is the fourth smallest in population, but largest in area by a factor of two. It is number two in petroleum production, and number seven in natural gas reserves. Palin was chairman of its oil and gas commssion for a year before becoming governor. One asian country (not Russia) appears to be activly developing nuclear weapons, and means of using them against the United states. The path of any missile of this country aimed for any point of the lower 48 passes over Alaska, a point recognized by the Defense department, requireing regular, if not public, communication bewtween them and the governor of Alaska (thankfully not Lisa Mejeski.) Another six of those 13 recent presidents have got no further than serving in Congress or being vice president, a black mark refreshingly absent from Palin. A welcome attribute of presidents and presidential candidates is endorsing and campaining for other politicians, assistance welcomed from Palin by a dozen successful candidates across the country in the recent embarassment of the opposing party. In 2008 I don't remember a whole lot of Republicans asking for McCain's help. Did Mitch Daniels make a difference for any candidate in 2010? I seem to remember when Palin made her first televised speech after getting the VP nod her teleprompter malfunctioning, but I missed the plaintive "can someone fix the teleprompter?' plus any apparent break in her delivery. Arn Nelson in Chicago