Last week, a lot of hay was made over an op-ed in the National Review written by Kathleen Parker -- a staunchly conservative voice -- in which she admitted that she was convinced Sarah Palin isn't qualified to be vice president and suggested that she graciously remove herself from the ticket.
Well, you can imagine the kind of reaction this has drawn from a lot of the invariably even-tempered folks on the right.
If you read nothing else today -- read this:
The Washington Post: "The Omen in My Mail" by Kathleen Parker/10.1.08
While I'd never suggest that the heaping of outrage in the direction of those who cross party lines is exclusive to any one political faction, threats of physical violence, cries of "traitor" not simply to party but to country, and the use of subtly underhanded language intended to imply that a certain political adversary isn't "one of us" -- along with the hypocrisy inherent in claiming to put "Country First" while tormenting someone who did just that -- this is almost strictly the domain of the modern Republican.
And while I can certainly be accused of doing my part to lower the discourse on occasion, I won't deny that Kathleen Parker's willingness to step outside the razor-wire-fenced lines separating her party from its sworn enemy is a damn humbling lesson in the importance of truly speaking your mind in the face of opposition.
The sad thing is, it shouldn't be. What she did shouldn't be such a big deal -- not if all of us are truly serious about putting not simply party, or even country, but truth first.
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