We Need an Institute to Study Sarah Palin

Dear George W. Bush: Instead of setting up some boring policy institute—there are already about 3,000 of them—why not spend your money on something important, like studying Sarah Palin. Set up the Institute for the Study of Sarah Palin, and “my check is in the mail,” writes Richard Cohen of the Washington Post. Such a place could study topics like how John McCain chose her—and why he hasn’t “repaired to a monastery and taken a vow of absolute silence,” in penance.

“The Institute for the Study of Sarah Palin might conclude that she represents the exact moment important Republicans gave up on democracy.” She was, no doubt, supposed to be a pretty puppet, controlled by her intellectual betters. Instead she’s now a celebrity demagogue. Republicans like her because they trust her to attack everything they hate. “The Palin Movement is fueled by high-octane bile, and it is worth studying for these reasons alone.” (More Sarah Palin stories.)