Sarah Palin Outsmarts the Left

Sarah Palin's resignation as Governor of Alaska is a brilliant liberating move for her career, and a potential turning point for the national conservative movement.

The biggest problem with her responsibility as Governor of Alaska is that the state is so far away from the rest of America. No one hears of the good work she has been doing there, and the left is free to paint their own false caricature of her. And because of the long distance and her family, as well as governing, responsibilities, she can't get down to the lower-48 enough to build her national political presence.

I am hoping she spends two weeks of every month now touring the states doing fundraisers for a the sweeping Republican revival in 2010 that is now developing. I hope she establishes a new national grassroots organization to fight for conservative causes. And I hope she starts a new national think tank in Washington.

She could pick up the mantle for social conservatism for the late Paul Weyrich in Washington, reinvigorating the pro-life cause and defense of traditional values. She could advocate sane, grown up energy policies through these organizations, favoring increased production of traditional as well as alternative energy, including nuclear power, while opposing fruitcake ideas like cap- and-trade taxes, and runaway corporate welfare that would bring back Jimmy Carter's synfuels. She should also lead the nation's mothers to oppose mandating replacement of incandescent light bulbs with the new mercury poison gas bulbs.

Here's hoping as well that she devotes these organizations to advancing the economics of Milton Friedman, Art Laffer, and Jack Kemp, rather than the outdated, failed economics of John Maynard Keynes that Obama advocates as if there was never any alternative. She should also be a new staunch advocate for peace through strength, and rebuilding our nuclear deterrent, rather than Obama's policy of nuclear disarmament. And here's hoping she becomes a powerful new voice for Israel, making new alliances with Jewish voters.

If she does all that, the left won't be making jokes about her any more, just like they stopped joking about Ronald Reagan long about 1984, and Newt Gingrich in 1994.

Peter Ferrara served in the White House Office of Policy Development under President Reagan, and as Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States under the first President Bush.