Who Will Bell the Cat Obama?

Writes Victor Davis Hanson: it is becoming clear how the president intends to run for reelection.

Obama’s campaign will focus on three general themes: a) the 2008 meltdown of the economy on Bush’s watch; b) conservative heartlessness in gutting cherished entitlement programs; and c) racial bias behind any criticism of Barack Obama.

Let's shorten this down even further.

1. Blame Bush
2. Conservatives are heartless
3. Conservatives are racists

So the question is, who would be the candidate that would best neutralize those themes? Mitt Romney? Well, the Obamis are already neutralizing him as the author of RomneyCare in Massachusetts. No point in electing a guy if he basically agrees with the president on health care. Tim Pawlenty? Well, he's a nice guy but he's a racist underneath. Bound to be. He's white isn't he?

But then we come to Sarah Palin. Blame Bush? I don't think so. Palin will hang the economy around Obama's neck. Heartless conservative? Why do you think Palin's second book was called America by Heart? Why do you think that Palin is running around the Northeast in a "One Nation" bus, and holding Pizza Summits with Donald Trump. (Wasn't it convenient that Palin was pictured looking towards the camera and Trump looking away but clearly listening carefully to Palin?)

But the biggest thing is race. Here is why the race card isn't going to work on Palin.

The fact is that it is Obama that has to tread carefully on the race issue. He can't afford to look like the big black man roughing up a delicate white woman. Yeah, I know. It's the hoariest racial stereotype since Othello and Desdemona. But the whole point about stereotypes is that they resonate in our hearts and unconscious minds.

Of course, what with the inflationary monetary policy and the uber-regulatory state and the jobless recovery, Obama may already be toast.

Still. Sarah Palin looks like a winner to me. Call her the darling of the white working class. Oh gee. I guess I already did.