Clicking Those Red Heels Together Again

It was the day before July 3, late Friday afternoon when political bombshells tend to go undetected into the night, that Sarah Palin came out into the front yard of her home to announce her resignation as governor of Alaska. We have seen her many times in her red jacket and her red high heels, and it has become her signature look. Once more, she clicked her heels together and repeated, like Dorothy, "there's no place like home." This is not the first time.

When she was a member of the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, she decided she could not make the reforms she needed and resigned her position in protest of her colleagues' actions. That move gave her an opportunity to present her platform and run for Governor of state.

Much analysis has been given by the media over the past ten days as to the motives behind Palin's move. She has been called "crazy like a fox" by commentator Bill Kristol who thinks her resignation could perhaps be a smart political move. Most commentators though have simply called her "crazy" and speak of her rambling, almost incoherent, statement as proof of her unworthiness to move forward politically.

For the past year, I have wanted to give Sarah Palin a chance. I have closed my eyes to the disastrous interview with Katie Couric, the "ya know" speech patterns, and the lack of knowledge about world events. What I cannot forgive, however, is a conservative woman who simply quits. Perhaps it is because of my rearing (as Churchill said, "never give in") that I refuse to forgive this move. As a more liberal woman in a conservative environment during my working career, I learned early on that we women must be able to withstand the opposition both from men-- -and other women, who can be even worse enemies. Yes, our frienemies can be as destructive as our true opponents.

If we women are honest, we all wish we could click our heels and return home again--without the stress of dealing with difficult problems, without hearing our families criticized, and without insinuations about our ethics. We simply cannot be leaders and changemakers, however, without the will to persevere.