Moments after I heard the news I did a radio interview and predicted that the news media would destroy her in their transparent quest to pave the way for Barack Obama’s historic election. I had no idea just how right that “blink” calculation would be and I certainly never would have guessed that I would become a small part of that story by dedicating my life and fortune to documenting just how unbelievably bad it would get.

The last twelve months of Sarah Palin’s life truly bring new meaning to the phrase “what a difference a year makes.” I strongly believe that no public figure in modern America has ever endured more stress, pressure and unfair scrutiny in a more dignified fashion than she has over the past year (though what George W. Bush tolerated over the last three years of his presidency probably comes in a close second).

On August 28th of last year Sarah Palin was a largely unknown governor considered to be a rising star largely because of her willingness to take on Republicans in a way that had endeared her to Democrats. Today she is an ex-governor wrongly perceived by most of the country and virtually all of the news media as an erratic, unqualified, lightweight and ultra-partisan Republican who can’t even mange her own family. 

What did she do exactly to deserve this unfortunate perception? I have literally gone around the country (screening my film “Media Malpractice” which features an exclusive interview with then Governor Palin) and asked numerous media outlets that question and I have yet to get a remotely sensible answer.

The best I can come up with (oddly, this is hardly ever mentioned when the topic comes up) is that, after having to deal with three or four sittings with a Katie Couric who was clearly out to get her, she did not name a supreme court case with which she disagrees other than Roe v. Wade. Other than that, my documentary proves that every other alleged transgression that she committed has been either blown out of proportion or simply made up by a news media that obviously had both a political and financial agenda against her. When you consider all of the whopper-sized blunders committed by her campaign counterpart Joe Biden, the unfair treatment of Palin does become, at least based on the live audience reactions to my film, rather hilarious.

On top of this, I wish you to consider the unique circumstances Palin was dealing with while she went through the last year, circumstances that a remotely fair media would have considered a remarkably successful and nearly error-free year.

If, in just one spin around the sun, you had given birth to a baby with Down’s Syndrome (that even mainstream media outlets would not fully accept as really belonging to you even though there was no other biological possibility), had your unmarried teenage daughter’s pregnancy (and later, her sex life) become fodder for massive worldwide coverage, had your first child sent to Iraq, had your fourteen-year-old, non-public figure daughter become the subject of rape jokes on national television, had your reputation and character destroyed by lies intended to foster the election of a man you knew would forever change/destroy the country you love, were prevented from doing your day job by a group of loser bloggers who lay awake at night (probably under the roof of their parents’ homes) dreaming of being interviewed by Keith Olbermann, and were thrown under the bus by numerous people on your “side” because they decided it was in their self-interest to do so — what are the chances you would not be left in the fetal position in a pool of your own drool?

But instead of cracking under this unprecedented pressure, Sarah Palin has proven her courage (and perhaps wisdom) by simply pivoting. While I disagreed with the timing of her decision to resign as Governor (mostly because I knew it would be misperceived as “quitting” by those who didn’t understand the facts on the ground in Alaska), I know it was done out of intentions that in a just world would be rewarded and not condemned. So far, it has also proven to be remarkably effective. After all, what other housewife from Wasilla, Alaska could have possibly altered the course of the health care debate (and possibly the entire Obama presidency) by simply posting some strong and well-footnoted opinions on her Facebook page?!

So, what have we learned from Sarah Palin’s remarkable year? Hopefully, we have learned a lot.

Among other things, we should have learned…

That surprise announcements can often create more long-term perception problems than they are worth (at least when they come from Republicans).

That to the media if you are a young, good looking, charismatic,  non-white male without a long resume and  are a conservative running for Vice-President, you are an embarrassment to the country. But if you are a young, good-looking, charismatic, non-white male without a long resume and are a socialist running for President, you are the Second Coming.

That the candidate who told the truth the most during the 2008 campaign was Sarah Palin.

That the media is perfectly willing and able to destroy someone’s character simply because it suits their political and economic agenda and will stop at nothing to do so.

That there are far too many high-profile “conservatives” willing to sell out their “cause” to gain favor with the news media and that there is almost no accountability for their treason.

That the left understands that this is a war where “assassinating” leaders of the other side is perfectly acceptable, while the right seems to still think that this is a picnic and that the Sarah Palins of the world grow on trees.

That the only people more threatened by a highly successful and good looking mom than liberal women, are Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, David Letterman and Bill Maher.

That the power of being a celebrity is far greater than the power of being Governor of Alaska.

That the ex-boyfriend of the daughter of the ex-Governor of Alaska can get treated as a media star if it is perceived to hurt a prominent conservative.

That more character was revealed in Sarah Palin over the past twelve months than America probably deserves in a politician.

That August 29th, 2008 was a seminal moment in our politics and media which has changed, perhaps forever, the rules of engagement in a way that may make it impossible for conservatives to ever fully recover and should truly frighten all fair-minded Americans.

If we don’t heed these lessons, then we will deserve what we will inevitably get.

Not to go an analogy too far, but Sarah Palin seems to be taking a page from the Hollywood playbook of George Lucas.  She has just completed her own introductory trilogy, and it was an astonishing success.  

First, she was a fantastically successful conservative governor lurking beneath the mainstream media’s radar.  Next, she was a vice-presidential candidate who, even though she lost, still did more to electrify the base than the headliner.  Third, she has now drawn the curtain on her post-election career as a sitting governor, a period that saw her deftly turn the tables on mainstream haters like David Letterman.   Like “Star Wars,” she’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but her fans are rabid and chomping at the bit for the next installments.  And as to these future installments, the question is whether the next step is going to be “The Phantom Menace” or something that doesn’t suck.

I’m betting on “A New Hope.”  Sarah Palin has taken every hit the left and its smug media lackies can dish out – from bogus ethics claims designed to bankrupt her to attacks on her kids.  Some of the haters seem to think they drove her from office, and are congratulating themselves that they have somehow driven her off the stage forever.  Not quite. 

Again, a “Star Wars” analogy:  Remember when Darth Vader faced off with Obi-Wan Kenobi?  “If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine?”  She’s now immune from bogus legal claims and her book will not only raise her profile but set up her family financially for life.  Now Sarah is unbound, freed from the need to be up in Juneau and able to network, fundraise and even (maybe) campaign without limitation.  And the modern media environment will let her do these things without even a nod to the mainstream media (Do you think Katie Couric will ever get to ask Sarah another question?  Ha!) 

–

Lefties, if you were responsible for her doing this, you just unleashed your strongest opponent and made her immune from your strongest attacks all at once. Ouch. It must hurt to know a woman you pride yourself on seeing as a drooling Neanderthal nitwit so thoroughly out-maneuvered you. You do see it, right?

There’s plenty of talk out there about her somehow being a “quitter” for only serving as governor for three years, as if resigning as the Chief Executive of Alaska was like cutting to the head of the women and children’s lifeboat line on the Titanic.  Personally, I was unaware of the urgent moral imperative of serving out one’s full term as governor but, if it makes the lefties feel better, when she’s elected president I’m pretty confident she’ll serve a full term.   Maybe even two.

Well, maybe she’s found some.

On paper, “The Proposal” sounds like more of the same; another concept-driven, fish-out-of-water romantic comedy. And that it is, but thanks to a solid script and winning performances from Bullock and co-star Ryan Reynolds, this coming weekend offers one of the better romantic comedies of the last few years.

“The Proposal” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but built around the expected are a number of entertaining, very well written and performed scenes which create a believable central relationship you root for. The laughs are consistent, and though some are milked from contrived situations, most are earned honestly through realistic reactions from well-developed characters. Beneath it all beats a heart of the best kind; the kind that sneaks up on you in the end as if to say, “Who knew I cared this much?”

Sandra Bullock is Margaret Tate, the editor-in-chief of a high-end, New York publishing firm. She’s also a stone cold witch who intimidates and bullies her assistant associate secretary, Andrew (Reynolds), to the point that not once during the three long years he’s worked for her has he been able to lower his guard in her presence. She’s brittle, demanding and impossible to please even when he accomplishes the impossible, anticipating her every want and need.

Margaret is Canadian and the combination of her arrogance and ambition has suddenly put her on the fast-track to deportation. Out of legal options, the only way to keep her job and stay in the country is to marry a U.S. citizen. Enter Andrew, who pops his head in the door and finds himself the only available male in the room.

Obviously Andrew’s doesn’t want to marry Margaret, but the reality is that if she’s deported her replacement’s sure to fire him making the years of hell under her all for nothing. She’ll be in Canada and he’ll be out on the street starting from scratch. With their fates tied and a suspicious immigration official sniffing around, they have only a few days to get to know each other well enough to pass muster as a married couple. So it’s off to Sitka, Alaska, and a weekend with Andrew’s family and a whole lot of deception.

First off, I want to warn our entitled Leftist friends used to fifteen years of Hollywood catering to their mean-spiritedness that there are no Sarah Palin jokes. *so sorry* Secondly, Thank God there are no Sarah Palin jokes. Not one. She’s never mentioned or even hinted at.  Whether this was the product of rare Hollywood restraint or having the film in the can before the election, who knows, but Thank God there are no Sarah Palin jokes because my wife would’ve walked out and then there’s no review.

Another pleasant surprise is how generous the film is in portraying the citizens of Alaska. Audience expectations and those of Margaret are constantly played for laughs as, one by one, tired stereotypes of small town Americans falls by the wayside. In other words, unless you’re one of those entitled Leftists, no spell-breaking sucker punches await.

The plot and situations are boilerplate. If you’ve seen Bullock’s 1995 “While You Were Sleeping,” you’ve pretty much seen second and third act of this. But Bullock’s charm and some excellent dialogue really make things soar over the seen-it-all-before spots. The biggest revelation, however, is Ryan Reynolds who’s absolutely marvelous, perfectly underplaying every moment for maximum laughs. Other than as Chris O’Donnell’s replacement, Reynolds has never hit my radar before, but this may well be remembered as his breakout performance.

“Office” fans will recognize Oscar Nunez, who has a few choice scenes as Ramone, Sitka’s storekeeper and exotic dancer, Craig T. Nelson and Mary Steenburgen aren’t given enough to do as Andrew’s parents but still manage to make an impression, but in the film’s more tiresome scenes – even the great Betty White can’t add much to the played-out earthy old grandmother character.

As a quick aside, I want to mention an impressive and marvelously crafted subplot involving Andrew’s former girlfriend Gertrude, who’s played by Malin Akerman. Without a moment of melodrama or word of exposition, screenwriter Peter Chiarelli creates a very real and poignant choice for Andrew. There’s even a moment when he clearly has this choice to make but never once is it played the way you expect or have seen so many times before. And there are at least three beautifully crafted, memorable scenes; poignant, funny, heartfelt…

Chiarelli had to work within the necessary conventions of a marketable genre, but still a real talent shines through.

There’s a new gold rush on but you don’t have to head to the hills of California to be part of it.  All you have to do is tune in to talk radio and jot down an “800″ number where a few of the big syndicated shows pimp for the gold merchants.  The ads for these companies are all over radio and television.

I have no problem with a host or show taking advertising from any product.  If Rush wants to run a few Obama ads, no problem. If Dr. Savage can sell ads to the ACLU, I say he should give his sales staff a bonus. I’m a capitalist all for making a nickel who believes in the old saying, caveat emptor – buyer beware.  Yet, it’s different when the host reads the commercial live.  This signifies a level of approval beyond “we let this guy buy ads on our show.”

Here’s my problem: when you rant about Obama’s negativity bringing the economy down, that’s one thing, but when you turn around and urge your listeners to buy gold because things are going to get worse, that’s hypocrisy.

The idea behind the new gold rush is that the country is going to hell in a hurry with the new socialism and we had all better rush out and buy gold because the way things are going our currency will soon be worthless. If you want food and fuel, you better have gold because we’ll all be bartering for essentials. This is fear mongering from guys who are down on Obama for fear mongering.

The worst offender is one of my favorite radio guys, Glenn Beck. The other day I was listening to his show and heard his long commercial for a gold advertiser. It was beyond an endorsement; it was a monologue about the coming crisis. He basically said that if you don’t get some gold today, you’re setting yourself and your family up to starve to death next year. Glenn could be right; we could be headed to a complete breakdown of the international economic and social structure. I don’t think so, but if we are, a little gold won’t help. It’s not like the Kroger would still be open to take filings off your Krugerrand for groceries. It’s not likely  some orderly barter system will replace your ATM card.

If you don’t think society’s breaking down, then buying gold retail is not a great investment.  First, gold is at an all-time high and I don’t know anyone who thinks buying at the top of the market is a good move.  I know ads say the price could be $1500 by the end of the year, but the price could be at $300 by the end of the year and your investment down 70 percent. If you want security, don’t buy gold, take your money out from under the mattress and buy a CD at your local bank. Second, if you call one of those “800″ numbers, you’re not going to get the spot price you see on CNBC. The broker’s percentage on buying and selling precious metals makes the guy in the suit at Merrill Lynch nicking you for 3 or 4 points look like a piker.

If you do believe Armageddon is just around the corner, learn to grow your own food and make sure you can field dress an animal. Teach your kids to hunt and fish. Get guns and lots of ammo. Before you do, let me know, because I want to get a few shares of Smith and Wesson.