For Sarah Palin, it is once again the Day and Night of Long Knives. Yesterday's appearance at the annual Memorial Day weekend Rolling Thunder biker's rally to call attention to veterans' issues brought forth hosannas from Palin boosters and streams of venom from her detractors. Any who thought that Palin's utility as a lightning rod might have diminished must think again. She's baa-aack!
As soon as news of her attendance broke, MSNBC's increasingly Eleanor-Cliftish Andrea Mitchell could not wait to get Ted Shpak, Rolling Thunder's national legislative director, on camera to poor-mouth Palin. Shpak's political affiliation or sympathies are not yet public knowledge (but soon will be); regardless, there is no reason to doubt his passion for his cause--all board members and officials of Rolling Thunder are unpaid volunteers. Steered by Mitchell, Shpak insisted that, while anyone can ride, Palin had not been invited, that she might be guilty of cynical self-promotion and that her presence would distract from the meaning and importance of the event. Maybe Shpak simply felt he was doing his job. There is no doubt that NBC was doing its job--or rather, its duty--which is to slide on Obama knee pads and shill for the president. (I miss the good old days when left-wing media simply spun the truth--now they spin campfire tales out of imaginary wool to scare the childish portion of the American electorate.)
Let's face it, there was no story here--and a supposed news organization with NBC's resources must have known it. In fact, Palin has had a standing invitation to Rolling Thunder for some time. Last year, she declined, citing a conflict. This year, Rolling Thunder board member emeritus Mike DiPaulo asked again, several months ago. The Palin organization, represented by Joe Fields of the Alaska Veterans Advisory Council, asked if the invitation was still open, DiPaulo said it was, and Palin accepted. There's no fire. Indeed, there's no smoke. Palin did not crash the party. That Shpak may have been in the dark about her appearance is not Palin's fault. Christine Colborne, media director of Rolling Thunder, confirms that any misunderstanding was entirely due to miscommuication caused by logistics--and NBC could have cleared this up with a few phone calls before rushing Shpak on air.
In fact, in order to raise the profile of the organization and its issues, celebrities are encouraged and often invited to ride in Rolling Thunder. Most decline--and those who accept do not have Palin's star power. If Shpak had no ulterior political motive for criticizing Sarah, then he must have concluded that she was too big a star and would overshadow his event. Does that make sense? The actual result of Sarah's short ride? The riders with her loved it and Palin spent about twenty minutes afterward in the middle of the crowd, clad in black leather and bucket helmet, pressing the flesh and working retail. Everyone in the United States now knows about Rolling Thunder and its mission. Since publicity is the annual pilgrimage's reason for being, who owes who an apology?
But it's a new day and the world has moved on--and so does Palin's bus tour. Was her appearance a mere photo op, albeit mutually beneficial? Well, breaking news: Palin is a politician--and she may be running for president. While she has never been anything but fervent in her support for the troops--especially veterans--and did nothing hypocritical, she could not have been unaware that her presence would cause a stir. But consider this: Obama is also a politician, also running--perpetually--for president. While Palin was riding, he was speaking in tornado-torn Joplin, MO. When floods devastated Nashville, he never said a word. He took his sweet time getting down to the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill. Tornados and floods have been tearing up the south all season--no Obama. All this tragedy and ruin came down on red states. But yesterday in Joplin, he spoke as pastor-in-chief, dusting off his church cadences of faith and hope and undying brotherhood. Missouri is a swing state, critical to his chances. Was Obama's sermon shameless, cynical, political self-promotion? You tell me.
Operation Rolling Thunder was a 3-year (1965-68) bombing campaign waged by US forces against North Vietnam, abandoned in stalemate because of the air defense weapons provided to the north by communist allies. The Rolling Thunder Revue was the name of Bob Dylan's famous tour of 1975-76. Rolling Thunder was the name of a 1977 movie about a war hero's revenge starring William Devane. But "rolling thunder" was originally the name given by the Shoshone Indian tribe for "speaking the truth." So let's roll some thunder.
Sarah Palin inspires extremes of high emotion. Those who love her sometimes adore her with a passion bordering on unreason. Those who hate her loathe her with a passion that is usually embedded in unreason. I think I know why; that is grist for another mill. Yesterday, she was wrongly beseiged--and two comments from opposing sites distill the two main reasons why. On the lefty site Rumproast, a comment read: "I can't help but be constantly pissed off at how much she's getting for so little." On the right-wing Free Republic, a troll posted this: "Haha! Damage done, gasbags!" But Sarah herself, in her offhanded way, summed up the reason she arouses passion in a few words. When asked if she expected future events to be so loud, she crowed "Oh, I hope so. I love that noise. I love that smell of emissions!"
That's the nut of it. Sarah Palin is what used to be called a "man's woman," but with a list of "feminist" achievements, and seems to be delighted with her synthesis of both roles. It is, potentially, a lethal political combination--either for her, or for her enemies. Her statement echoes another famous pronouncement, made by Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now. "Aaah. I love the smell of napalm in the morning! It smells like....victory!" For Sarah Palin, the game is on.
