Palin as sovereign

In Hobbes's great book Leviathan he managed to piss off the monarchists who had supported Charles I (and he was perceived to be a supporter of the monarchy).

Why? Because one of the central themes of Leviathan was that it didn't matter who was sovereign. To preserve order a sovereign was required, but basically any one who could keep the peace would do. Just as long as they could mobilize enough fear to get the people to obey the law and preserve the social order they were qualified to be sovereign. This enraged those who supported divine right monarchy, and a long standing tradition in political theory going back to Plato and Aristotle that there were certain characteristics necessary to be a ruler. Hobbes was setting the bar very low.

Palin's appointment as McCain's VP nominee is the fruition of Hobbes's argument. Quite frankly if she becomes VP, there is no reason her retarded son Trigg couldn't do the job at some point in the future. Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Lincoln fought to create and preserve a tremendous democracy and this is what it comes to.

I can't decide if this represents an indictment of US democracy or is sign of its institutional robustness. Perhaps Hobbes was correct - no previous experience or special ability is necessary. I have no doubt after listening to her berate, chide, and mock democrats, community organizers, and pretty much anyone that disagrees with her that she will have no difficulty mobilizing the requisite amount of fear necessary to get the citizenry to toe the line.

Fortunately, it doesn't look like Ms. Palin is going to get that close to the top job for now, but it is reasonable to assume that the Republicans will find another like her to throw up the food chain four years from now. They now have an established record of appointing complete idiots to the number two or number one position (Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, G. W. Bush).