Are some things inevitable?  Do certain circumstances lend themselves to the unavoidable hand of destiny?  Are Washington politicos usually correct when making predictions based upon "conventional wisdom"?  Per the media's prodding, shall we just go ahead and start calling him President Rick Perry?  Not if former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has anything to say about it.  Last week, in what is best described as trademark Palin unpredictablity, the self-described hockey mom drove a stake into the heart of three distinct narratives that, for months, have been reverberating throughout the echo-chambers of Big Media.

First, in an interview with FOX News' Sean Hannity, the former Alaska governor began gently tarring former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney with the same sort of criticism she has more often reserved for President Obama -- that of ditherer-in-chief.  Mrs. Palin pointedly mocked Romney's political wind-testing approach to the debt debate, and in her genuine "bless his heart" way, she began the uneasy task -- oft-loathed by competitors within the same political party -- of pointing out the many differences between herself and Mr. Romney.  This crucial contrast-drawing can most likely be interpreted as a move toward announcing her candidacy.

Next, ever since Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann announced her decision to run for the GOP nomination, the media has been salivating over a potential "mud-wrestling" match between Mrs. Bachmann and Gov. Palin.  But on the same night, and in nearly the same breath used to chastise Romney, Palin silenced the media-driven girl-fight meme by praising Bachmann's principled "no" vote on the debt-ceiling debacle.  (The elites are confounded by Palin's willingness to both criticize and praise, as a matter of principle rather than politics, even her presumed competitors.)

Lastly, in their usual cynical tone, the political spinsters have been pushing a run for the GOP nod by current Texas governor Rick Perry.  Trumpeting Perry's alleged popularity within the Tea Party movement, the jammer-jawing intelligentsia spin a tale aimed at convincing voters of his viability, as a worthy opponent for Pres. Obama, while attempting to shut the door on the idea of nominating Gov. Palin.  Of course, the flurry of pro-Perry news items is also intended to demoralize any pro-Palin forces by persuading them that Gov. Palin herself will ultimately decide against running.  They want Americans to believe that Palin acknowledges her own cerebral shortcomings and will instead endorse the much more sophisticated Gov. Perry.  (It's intriguing that, when it's convenient for Big Media, Governor Palin is painted as severely lacking in intelligence, yet as soon as they need a villain to decry, she becomes an evil genius who plans the destruction of polar bears from high atop her Alaskan ice castle.)   

However, in yet another apparent step toward a 2012 run, Gov. Palin slyly re-tweeted a piece written by Whitney Pitcher, and featured on www.conservatives4palin.com, that puts Perry in a fairly negative light.  In the post, Pitcher analyzes the dismal fiscal numbers in Texas garnered by the anemic leadership of Rick Perry, compared with Alaska's example of financial discipline under the leadership of the former mayor of Wasilla.  If Governor Palin intended on endorsing Gov. Perry -- should he choose to run -- why would she trumpet his poor financial record to her legions of followers?  It should also be noted that, according to conservatives4palin, Pitcher's post "pretty much calls for her (Palin) to run for the presidency."

Over the last three years, many Washington soothsayers have taken note of Mrs. Palin's consistent conservative credentials -- most recently after gleefully rummaging through thousands of her private emails -- while simultaneously and dismissively marveling at her nonchalant attitude toward conventionality.  They often bemoan the "brazen" way that she causes seismic shifts in the political terrain with the prose of a mere commoner (death panels), and I suspect they wince at the prospect of her next tweet or note. 

By now, the elites are numb to the feelings of shame, guilt, and awkwardness that have accompanied their endless attempts to molest the Palin family, but they are not yet accustomed to the sting of damaged pride.  They despise intellectual humiliation more than almost anything, yet they continually do things that make their foolishness glaringly apparent.  While no one should be surprised at the political prowess of the once-chief executive of the geographically largest state in the Union, many will continue to underestimate her and, in repeatedly writing her professional obituary, will ultimately pen their own. 

James York is a small-town journalist and an amateur photographer who enjoys politics.  He is the administrator at www.facebook.com/defendpalin.  Contact him at living_well09@privacyharbor.com.