Sarah Palin Department of Energy Czar!

By Kathleen

What job should Sarah Palin next have the opportunity to mess up if she she does not run for President? That is an interesting question and not one that we have given much thought to. Personally speaking I hope that she will fade quietly into obscurity. However, I am afraid to say, others consider that she should take a different course.

In a recent article, David Bozeman, who believes that Sarah Palin is too good to be President, reveals that he believes that Palin would be perfect for the post of Secretary of Energy.

Never mind the fact that Palin quit her job as chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. That is just an inconvenient fact that Bozeman conveniently forgets to include in his summation.

So what, according to Bozeman, are Palin's credentials for the job? He explains that despite her lack of knowledge about what she reads and the Bush Doctrine Sarah simply oozes oil from every pore, even if her relationship with oil companies has been a slippery one. Bozeman's blind faith in Palin's abilities is embarrassingly naive......

Sarah Palin, by contrast, knows energy. Ask her about the Bush Doctrine and she is flummoxed. Ask her what she reads and she’s not sure where you’re coming from. Ask her about energy policy and the woman won’t shut up. Aside from her aforementioned chairmanship of the AOGCC, she, as governor, awarded a contract for the start of a 1700 mile natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay AK to Alberta, Canada (known as AGIA, the Alaska Gasoline Inducement Act).

Her relationships with oil companies, however, have been tenuous and controversial. She reportedly admonished some for sitting on leased lands without tapping their supplies, and, to the chagrin of some, she made the AGIA negotiations open and publicly transparent. She, unusual for a free-market conservative, famously gave every Alaskan a share of oil profits, but under the state’s constitution, such natural resources are owned by the people.

As the wife of a unionized oil-field machinist (separated for weeks at a time in opposite ends of the state), what Sarah Palin really brings to the table is the mindset that not drilling further is not an option. She even publicly opposed her own running mate John McCain over ANWR (though she strongly favors an all-of-the-above policy, including renewable energy and conservation).

During the gulf oil spill of 2011, she was one of the few to note the perils of drilling in deep water when so many untapped reserves exist inland and closer to our shores. As an Alaskan, she harbors a fond appreciation for the scenic and recreational value of public land and would surely strike a balance favorable to development and preservation.

I do not believe that Bozeman has thought his proposal through. After all, isn't Palin against big Government? Surely she would want to abolish the Department of Energy? Not save it.

Read the rest of the article here.

Shushannah Walshe, a journalist who has claimed previous inside contact with SarahPac, in an interview with Chris Matthews, stated that she thinks that Sarah Palin should not be ruled out of the Presidential race and that she believes that Palin will be "salivating" at the knowledge that Mike Huckabee has pulled out as his withdrawal offers her a better chance of winning. The withdrawal of Trump and Huckabee also raise Palin's chances of raking in more campaign $$$$$$ -- a fact that has not escaped her attention.

The discussion on Hardball about Sarah Palin begins around 7:40 and Chris Matthews pours much scorn on the fact that Palin could be of any help to the Republic as she lacks curiosity and the willingness to learn. He really hopes that Palin does not run "for our good".

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sarah Palin cannot win the 2012 election -- she just cannot. Additionally, if she does not run, I hope that the whispered murmurings of possible positions for her in any government post will prove to be merely mutterings that will be lost in the night.

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Note by Patrick:

The remark by Chris Matthews in this clip that...

"Sarah Palin has proven herself to be profoundly stupid"

...caused quite an eruption on twitter with a very large number of tweets.

Update by Kathleen

Politicalgates reader silver_dessert posted the following video, taken a short time after the 2008 election, in which Sarah Palin makes it clear that she looks forward to discussing energy issues with President Obama. Perhaps the fact that he did not pick up the phone and contact her is the reason for all her bitterness towards him.

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Sunnyjane also made a terrific summary of the qualifications held by the present Secretary for Energy, Dr. Steven Chu, a distinguished scientist. Pitted against Bozeman's account of Palin's skills for the job there is even less doubt that Bozeman thinks with something other than his brain when it comes to assessing Palin.

Let's compare Palin's energy credentials with Dr. Steven Chu's, the current Secretary of Energy:

Palin: (In Bozeman's article) Aside from her aforementioned chairmanship of the AOGCC, she, as governor, awarded a contract for the start of a 1700 mile natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay AK to Alberta, Canada (known as AGIA, the Alaska Gasoline Inducement Act).

Dr. Chu: Dr. Chu is a distinguished scientist and co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics (1997). He has devoted his recent scientific career to the search for new solutions to our energy challenges and stopping global climate change - a mission he continues with even greater urgency as Secretary of Energy.

Prior to his appointment, Dr. Chu was the Director of the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, where he led the lab in pursuit of alternative and renewable energy technologies. He also taught at the University of California as a Professor of Physics and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology. Previously, he held positions at Stanford University and AT&T Bell Laboratories.

Dr. Chu's research in atomic physics, quantum electronics, polymer and biophysics includes tests of fundamental theories in physics, the development of methods to laser cool and trap atoms, atom interferometry, the development of the first atomic fountain, and the manipulation and study of polymers and biological systems at the single molecule level. While at Stanford, he helped start Bio-X, a multi-disciplinary initiative that brings together the physical and biological sciences with engineering and medicine.

Read more about Dr Steven Chu here.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

A message from our friend aview999. Please support her in her efforts to keep attention on the nuclear disaster in Japan.

Today is Nuclear Free Call in Day!

All you have to do is to call (202) 224-3121 and ask your Representa­tive's secretary whether the representa­tive supports the Title 17 Loan Program to Expand Nuclear energy.

There are two seed loans as a gift to industry to "encourage private investment in new nucler energy." You then explain that these loans should be rescinded. 18.5 billion for reactors and 4 billion for more uranium enrichment will only endanger us from Chernobyls and Fukushima and will be a waste of money since private investors will not invest regardless­.

The NIRS is the organizati­on supporting this effort. That is the Nuclear Informatio­n Resource Society.

The idea is to keep the phones ringing off the hook all day. The media refuses to cover this important issue. The only way to get the message across is by telephonin­g and e-mailing.