Sarah Palin Returns to Alaska to Mend Image at Home

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has just finished the wildest ride of her life. She left the friendly confines of the Alaska governorship to run with John McCain as his vice presidential candidate in the 2008 presidential election. She was a media sensation, then a media mockery, and ultimately finished the race with some dignity restored and many political pundits wondering aloud whether she would be a GOP front-runner for the 2012 election.

Now she returns home to the smoldering ashes of some in-house political scandals and a public perception that has seen her evolve from a grounded every-woman-hockey-mom to the GOP's lead attack dog. Most in Alaska saw Palin as a force of change and unity, as she worked closely with her Democratic colleagues in government to get things done. Alaska also enjoyed a multi-billion dollar surplus as a result of sky-rocketing oil prices, which is a great way to ensure harmony in the ranks of government.

But while she was away campaigning tirelessly around the country, she was being tried in the local courts of public opinion about the Troopergate scandal, as well as allegations that she misspent taxpayer money on travel expenses for her children.

And while her supporters and detractors in Alaska certainly may have seen a different side of Sarah Palin during the campaign, it's important for all of us to realize that everything is exaggerated when the national media is concerned. Not that the media put any words into Palin's mouth, but her message always had to be abundantly strong and clear in order to reach the audience that the GOP was trying so desperately to mobilize -- the conservative Right. When she accepted the opportunity to run with McCain, she surely knew what her role was going to be. Even if that role ran somewhat counter to her working persona as governor of Alaska, she had to play ball because the opportunity was simply too great to pass up. Now that she is back to more comfortable surroundings, it's likely that a more comfortable Sarah Palin will return, and a few months down the road, the process of healing at home will be well under way.