She was second runner-up in the Miss Alaska pageant (a precursor to the Miss America pageant) in 1984. She competed again in 1985, but she didn’t place. Fast forward to 2009 and Sarah Palin is now Miss America on steroids . She is Uber Miss America, without the baggage of the Miss America Pageant and Donald Trump (or John McCain and the Mcain Campaign). Her platform: affordable energy found here in the United States (i.e., Alaska) a/k/a the “drill baby drill" rally call.In an article in today’s Washington Post, allegedly written by Sarah Palin, she comes off very clear about what she feels it will take to make America energy independent (I bet Todd is her Czar). I can feel the enthusiasm she has for the subject matter. When she speaks on this, she is very comfortable, even (dare I say)...(big gulp) knowledgeable.
Americans continue to struggle with ever increasing electricity bills and unfortunately we don’t see a lot of effort on behalf of the government to stop the rising costs. With this platform and at this time in our history, this Uber Miss America just might have legs. Below are excerpts from her Washington Post article (of course she has to start with the snark, because otherwise it just wouldn’t be Sarah)...
"Unfortunately, many in the national media would rather focus on the personality-driven political gossip of the day than on the gravity of these challenges. So, at risk of disappointing the chattering class, let me make clear what is foremost on my mind and where my focus will be:
[…]
We must move in a new direction. We are ripe for economic growth and energy independence if we responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil. Just as important, we have more desire and ability to protect the
environment than any foreign nation from which we purchase energy today.
In Alaska, we are progressing on the largest private-sector energy project in history. Our 3,000-mile natural gas pipeline will transport hundreds of trillions of cubic feet of our clean natural gas to hungry markets across America. We can safely drill for U.S. oil offshore and in a tiny, 2,000-acre corner of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge if ever given the go-ahead by Washington bureaucrats.
Of course, Alaska is not the sole source of American energy. Many states have abundant coal, whose technology is continuously making it into a cleaner energy source. Westerners literally sit on mountains of oil and gas, and every state can consider the possibility of nuclear energy.
We have an important choice to make. Do we want to control our energy supply and its environmental impact? Or, do we want to outsource it to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia? …
For so many reasons, we can't afford to kill responsible domestic energy production or clobber every American consumer with higher prices.
Can America produce more of its own energy through strategic investments that protect the environment, revive our economy and secure our nation?
Yes, we can…"
I can just see her now, sitting down with Oprah (after receiving thounderous applause from the audience, of course)... “It’s been a wonderful whirlwind affair for me, and I owe this to my preparation by the Miss America organization”.