Palin the Tactician

By Emily Greenwood

After Lisa Murkowski's gracious concession last night, Joe Miller is Alaska's Republican senate candidate. What drama! As a relatively new Alaskan, I watched this contest unfold in the last few months from my vantage point in southeast Alaska, Murkowski territory. What was Palin doing, I wondered, when she endorsed the long shot Joe Miller?

I was even more amazed when the Tea Party Express group earlier this summer announced its support for Miller, one of only two candidates in the nation it was actively supporting.(The other is Sharron Angle. The group is now also helping Christine O'Donnell.) Why spend scarce resources targeting Murkowski, a solid middle-of-the-road Republican, a safe bet to defeat her Democrat opponent, in a primary, instead of spending the funds on the many critical races that are already past the primary stage?

Further, Sarah Palin has made appearances at Tea Party Express events. Surely Tea Party Express intervened in Alaska only after seeking Palin's blessing and advice -- or perhaps she came to them.

This morning, Palin's political judgment is vindicated once again. This operation was a daring raid behind enemy lines. It inspirits the troops, stuns the enemy, and completely changes the battlefield, a much better use of resources than throwing them into the trench warfare of the California races. And, after taking it on the chin for supporting McCain in his primary, Palin has shown the world her true conservative colors once again. This matters if she is positioning for a presidential run in 2012. Her decision to endorse Miller and bring in the Tea Party Express convinced me that she is indeed doing so.