Sarah Palin could be the new Ronald Reagan

John McCain looks doomed. But on last night’s evidence, Sarah Palin has a political future

Sarah Palin could still end up as a footnote to history, the same way Geraldine Ferraro did after the Mondale-Ferraro ticket plummeted to defeat in 1984 when Ronald Reagan won his second term. Or she could be back in the coming years as a major Republican player on the national scene.

As the pick of those betting on the latter proposition, Palin did herself the best of favours last night. After widely criticised interviews with Gibson of ABC and Couric of CBS she put up a spirited performance against Joe Biden in the one and only vice-presidential debate in St Louis and showed that just like Ronald Reagan she might be shaky on the fine print but knows how to write the headlines.

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The late Alexander Cockburn was the co-author (with Jeffrey St Clair) of Whiteout, the CIA and Drugs and the Press. Until his death in July 2012, he co-edited the political newsletter and website counterpunch.org and wrote regularly for The Week from his home in northern California.