There is a celebrity called Sarah Palin.  She understands you and me because she is you and me, only famous.  She's an ordinary, hard-working hockey Mom.  Oh and she's good looking, because that's a pre-requisite for celebrity.  And you know what else?  She really cares about families and God and the great state of Alaska, especially the real people who live there.

Elected the Governor of Alaska, our nation's last frontier, her image was the embodiment of the frontierswoman:  shooting, fishing, and lugging around a big pair of balls.  As Governor she had power, which caused a problem because of that pesky ex-brother-in-law state trooper situation...but then...never mind... 

Some may spend their entire lives striving to attain such a position of public service.  She's been there/done that/handed it over to somebody else to get on with.  Her aspirations grow loftier.

Sarah's celebrity status seems to be the number one factor propelling her towards the oval office.  She could become our first "pure" celebrity president, sprung from obscurity and swept along on a tide of charisma rather than wartime heroism, political dynastic roots, or acting prowess.  Who would benefit from this, our first "celebrity rule" president? 

The people who identify so strongly with Palin think they would.  Her election would inspire and enable them to see themselves as important because in the land of celebrity so much can be achieved so fast, requiring so little talent or effort.

Then there are those who benefitted the last time we had a fluid character in the white house.  Let's not forget Dick Cheney, the most powerful vice-president we've ever had, whose influence coincided with a period where America began to lose its soul, abandoning Habeas Corpus, the Geneva Convention, and our abhorrence of the use of torture.  An inadequate executive branch distorts the checks and balances laid out in the constitution.

Compared to people in Britain where I live, Americans have a long-held, inherent distrust of government.   We rejected monarchy as our government of choice in 1776.  We don't want to be told what to do by an unelected "elite," and sometimes barely tolerate our representatives elected on the grounds of merit.  But does that mean that we want to be governed by Joe the Plumber, Betty the bank teller, or Hilda who works at Starbuck's?

The truth is I'd prefer to see someone who isn't "just like me" occupying that top job.  My expectations are high so I want somebody better qualified than that, someone who realistically cannot be "ordinary" because I want him or her to put the country first, ahead of "normal" activities which occupy so much of my time. 

The silver lining to this Palin cloud could be the nature of celebrity itself.  The masses are fickle and the clock starts ticking on all "celebs" from the moment they enter the fame arena.  Some last longer than others and those who offer more surface than substance are sometimes exposed.  Maybe Sarah has started her race for the white house prematurely.  

Could the veneer begin to crack by the time the presidential primary season is upon us?  Will we see paparazzi snaps of Palin shaving off her own hair a la Britney Spears or raving at the cameras in Mel Gibson mode?  Could the "real" Americans have spoken by then and moved on to the next celebrity sensation?

Or am I being naively optimistic in hoping that Sarah Palin has miss-timed her campaign for the presidency?