Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has been the subject of such vile attacks from the left that many forget that they once had praise, not vitriol, before she became John McCain’s running mate. After Palin won her election in Alaska in 2006 she was the darling of the Democrats because she bested sitting Governor Frank Murkowski. She not only beat Murkowski, she sent packing many of his pals in the Republican “corrupt bastards club.” Smiles on the faces of Democrats were seen all around. Some of Murkowski’s buddies even made their way to the penitentiary, thanks to Palin. She meant to shake up the establishment, and she certainly did. One would be hard-pressed to name a governor of any other state who swept into office on a promise of cleaning up the corruption—and then actually used the mop. (Worth noting as the antithesis of Palin is the former governor of Illinois, Obama pal Rod Blagojevich, who also campaigned on a pledge to clean up the corruption but instead raised it to new levels.)

With Palin’s tough new ethics bill in place and Alaska’s corrupt bastards gone, there were suddenly fewer Alaskan politicians to continue the oil company protection racket that had allowed those companies to make a fortune while giving as little as possible back to the residents of the state. Palin immediately set about implementing a new system of splitting the oil profits, in a program called “ACES.” Exxon, the world’s largest corporation, protested—but their good old boys weren’t there anymore. They assumed they could walk all over Palin, so they threatened to take their rigs and tankers and leave. She called their bluff, saying, in effect, “Don't let the door hit you in the stern on your way out.”

Exxon stayed, and the other oil companies fell meekly in line. Alaska’s residents reaped the benefits, with enormous royalties being paid by the oil industry generating fat rebate checks for Alaska’ residents. Alaska has no state sales tax and no state income tax. Nevertheless, under Palin, state revenues doubled in 2008. There is no other governor in the United States who can make those claims. Not surprisingly, Palin was the most popular governor in the United States, with approval ratings as high as 93 percent.

Unafraid to use the veto pen, upon taking office Palin collected the list of state requests for federal funding of pet projects (“pork”). She took 85 percent of the items on the list and placed them in the “when-hell-freezes-over” stack. She let Alaskans know that if they needed something built, they could pay for it with state funds—and avoid the ludicrous and expensive “strings” that always come attached to federal funds.

Palin sold the governor's jet because it was unnecessary, and because it cost the Alaskan taxpayers a fortune to maintain. She dismissed the governor's cook—saying she could make dinner for her own family. She refused the state vehicle assigned to her, stating that she already had a car. She also dispensed with the personal security force—probably because she “packs heat” and knows how to use it.

Palin’s “gosh,” “golly,” and “you betcha” language might make her sound to some like a naïve country bumpkin, but Palin had the insight and the initiative to start development on the TransCanada Pipeline. The natural gas pipeline will be the largest private construction project in the history of North America. No other governor has ever attempted such a plan—while also baking brownies and raising children.

For 30 years, Exxon held a lease to do exploratory drilling at Point Thompson. Exxon never bothered to drill—it simply held the lease as an investment. Over three decades, no governor did anything about the situation. Palin said, “Start the drilling, or lose the lease.” Exxon protested and threatened court action. Palin reminded the company that she also knew the way to the court house. Exxon backed down.

Obama wants 25 percent of electricity in the United States to be based on renewable resources by 2025. Palin went to her state legislature and submitted a plan for Alaska to be at 50 percent

by the same date. Alaska is now at 25 percent.

Palin was the nation’s most popular governor because she was not afraid to tackle the big jobs… or the “big boys.” As a maverick she was applauded by politicians and media members on both the left and the right. But the moment she joined John McCain on the Republican ticket she became the enemy. Voters who were sitting on the sidelines, with no enthusiasm for McCain, suddenly became energized. McCain/Palin was even ahead of Obama/Biden for a week or two in September. Palin dared to bring excitement to the Republican Party, dared to question Obama’s socialist philosophies and lifetime of associations with undesirables. That could not be tolerated by the left, and the attack machine was put in overdrive.

It was not enough for Obama to beat McCain in 2008. Palin remained in the wings, threatening to some day return to state the obvious when no one else dared say it, possibly to bring down the Obama house of cards. So the attacks continued even after Palin returned to Alaska, via constant frivolous lawsuits meant to harass her and drive her into bankruptcy. Palin called their bluff and resigned. As a private citizen she has taken away the procedural platform they used for the lawsuits. Palin now has the upper hand.

Although some criticized her for it, Palin’s resignation was in fact a brilliant move. Any attacks on her now will be instantly identifiable as what they are—personal attacks. If the liberals spend the next three years attacking her personally, Palin will come out the winner. She will receive support for being attacked relentlessly for no apparent reason. But Palin is certainly not defenseless. Those circling around her should know that when you continually jab and pester a barracuda, at some point… without warning… it will spin around and tear your face off.