The World

I thought Sarah Palin’s farewell speech as governor of Alaska was an astonishing performance – and I don’t mean that in a good way. There have been times when Palin has been able to perform adequately in public; her acceptance speech at the Republican convention, and her debate with Joe Biden are examples. But this was Sarah Palin unplugged, and it was not a pretty sight.

Her early unscripted remarks were so inarticulate that they barely made sense. Some of what she had to say was comic, such as her suggestion that she would guard the interests of Alaskans with the ferocity of a grizzly bear guarding it cubs. Some of it was faintly sinister, such as her attempt to suggest that her critics in the press were betraying American troops abroad. The logic was that the troops are fighting to defend freedom, including freedom of the press. But Palin’s press critics are lying and therefore abusing that freedom. Therefore they are betraying the troops.

The second half of her speech was marginally more coherent, as she outlined her achievements as governor and her hopes for the nation. Perhaps she was using an autocue, by that stage – or perhaps she had simply got into her stride. I got the impression that she is definitely positioning herself for a run at the presidency. Certainly she hit all the key themes – guns, God, patriotism, the military, small government, voluntarism, distrust of Washington.

I also think that if the economy is really bad in 2012, she would have a genuine shot at winning the White House. Scary is an over-used word. But that really is a scary thought.