This post guest-blogged by Jayden Harlow...

***

The philosopher and poet George Santayana once said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Fortunately for us, Santayana was in the Palin-verse, at least - both a "foreigner" (He was born in Spain and lived outside the US for half his life.) and an "elitist" (educated at Harvard), so it's unlikely that Sarah "Sixpack" Palin has ever read his work.

The sad and scary reality is that Sarah Palin's gaffes don't stem from being tongue-tied or nervous; they are, rather, a direct result of her ostrich-like ability to bury her head in the sand, refusing to educate herself on the most rudimentary level about life as it exists outside Alaska and the Conservative Christian bubble.

One can be trained out of a tendency to phrase things wrong. The reason Sarah will likely continue to gift us with gaffes throughout her political career is that she actually says what she means; she just doesn't "get" that what she means is ignorant foolishness.

Watching Sarah Palin speak is a bit like listening to sound bytes from a precocious child actor who has suddenly found herself engulfed in the media storm surrounding an Oscar-nominated film. People keep shoving microphones in her face, and nobody has the heart to tell her that people are laughing at her and not with her.

Her interview with Katie Couric had just that ring to it, and she rattled off a string of inanities, getting more and more frustrated when she was pressed to actually prove that she really knew something about government and the world.

My favorite snippet from that interview came when she was asked to name the newspapers and magazines she reads: "All of em, any of em that have been in front of me all these years." This suggests that not only does she not read magazines or newspapers, but she can't even summon their names to memory. Scary.

The other reason Sarah Palin is unlikely to shift into the realm of great orators anytime soon is her complete lack of understanding of the concept of consistency, which she probably thinks is just one of those "high-falutin" ideas perpetrated by Washington insiders.

She continually seems flummoxed when something she says comes back to haunt her. Who cares if she said that the vice president is "in charge of the U.S. Senate" or that Afganistan is "a neighboring country"? In the mind of Sarah Palin, any presumption that what she says is any kind of reflection of what she knows is either "sexism" or "Marxism."

One does wonder if, not being a great reader of newspapers and magazines, she has ever taken the time to read "The Feminist Mystique," "Das Capital" or "The Communist Manifesto" so that she can have some clarity on what the terms she throws around actually mean. I suspect not.

The president's primary job is to communicate effectively with all levels of government (both domestically and internationally). Sarah Palin lacks this ability, and, unless she takes some time to educate herself in the way her country is actually run, all she really has to offer this country is a future of sound bytes that sound like they were taken from a taping of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader." If that's what's the country wants, then we're better off voting for Jeff Foxworthy. At least he knows when he's being funny.

This post contributed by Joyce Beckman.

***

It's time again for primaries and national elections. Of course President Obama will be his party's nominee, but did he live up to his "promise?"

You must ask, "which promise is that?" He raised the capital gains tax in an effort to "spread the wealth." This backfired and sent many businesses that were still in the US scurrying to countries with more favorable tax policies. Mr. Obama's attempt to "grow the economy from the bottom up" has been a dismal failure. Since he decided to punish through taxes any business that grossed more than $200,000, the hope of new jobs quickly died. The unemployment rate continues to be staggering. We are still in the throws of a great depression.

Mr. Obama and his left-leaning congress succeeded in his early years in driving the deficit up to nearly 2 trillion dollars and redistributed the wealth to those who just squandered it. Instead of leading a center-right country from the center, he continues to try to lead from the left. If he didn't learn within his first year or two, what chance is there he will learn in a second term?

He promised change. His early administration was filled with Clinton staffers and cabinet - what change was this? Again the electorate voted foolishly by not searching the issues but depending upon the media to spoon feed them. What kind of change did he bring, this so-called messiah, to his followers who thought he was their savior? Our Christ-like figure, Mr. Obama, had to withdraw his promise for universal health care as he gave away the rest of our nation's wealth before he could get to this issue.

He did fulfill his promise of pulling the troops out of Iraq, which was greeted with jubilation by his blind followers - until al Qaeda really took over with Iran's support and expanded their terror base from Afghanistan now to include Iraq and Iran. The entire Middle East is now in danger - the moderate Arab states have much to fear from this trio of trouble, and Israel is in peril of being wiped off the face of the map. They are poised to strike these nations. They have held off only because President Obama promised to protect them.

Now he had to institute a draft and is taking the youth of this nation, subjecting them to 6 weeks of basic training, and then throwing them into this cauldron that his administration created by withdrawing troops prematurely. The death rate is terribly high due to his policies. Does this sound like Viet Nam all over again? The youth who sang his praises in 2008 are now protesting daily in all the major cities of the US. The wealthy - the few who are left - succeed in keeping their sons and daughters out of the draft - what else is new.

So, he did live up to his promise of "change," but not in the way we wished he had! Now we are ready for a real change in this country. I don't see how he can win another term.

This post contributed by Laura Leigh Fields, a regular writer at Helium.com.

***

Sarah Palin is a very energetic and extremely entertaining woman who recently took the world by storm. Her campaign for vice-presidency showed women everywhere that anything is possible. She not only ensured that she would get a chapter in the history book, she has only just begun filling up the pages.

Sarah Palin is a gifted communicator in the sense that she says what she thinks is right. She doesn't say what Americans want to hear or else she would be packing her bags and on her way to the white house right now. Sarah speaks the truth as she knows it and in today's society this is not very common.

Too many candidates busy themselves reciting speeches and speaking of ideas they don't believe in. They often say what they think should be said. Once they win the race, everything changes. With Sarah Palin, the examples have already been set. Her actions speak louder than her vocal chords will allow.

As a mother, Sarah Palin knows how valuable good communication is. No doubt she has had much experience in problem solving among children. Any parent knows this is not only a difficult task but also great practice for the rest of life's issues.

Sarah Palin is a thinker. She has good ideas and she tries to do the right things. This is a quality many political figures lack. It is also admirable and helps to set her apart from the rest of the presidential candidates in both past and present elections.

Sarah Palin proved this theory in the way she handled her daughter's pregnancy. She did not quickly sweep the news under the rug and walk away. She faced the situation and encouraged her daughter to make the right choices.

Sarah Palin has a style that is different from what we are used to. Her public speaking methods may seem unorthodox for many but it works for her. She gets the attention of the American voters, good or bad they stop to listen.

Sarah Palin has a certain innocence about her that is intriguing. Her lack of experience makes her seem pure in the world of politics. The fact that she hasn't given as many speeches as some candidates have makes her words seem more believable.

Sarah Palin has a different and sometimes questionable style. This is what the world needs. Even when she isn't speaking, her voice echoes in the minds and hearts of the American voting public. She won't allow herself to be silenced.

Sarah Palin proves that women should not only be seen but also heard because they do have valuable things to say. She did more than put her foot in the door. She kicked it in and paved the way for a new beginning.

The question is not whether or not Americans will embrace her style. It is, "Why wouldn't they?" All people deserve a second chance and Sarah Palin is no exception to the rules. Give her time, and she will prove to the world that she is a worthy communicator. The positive changes she can bring are exactly what America needs.